BCer Robert points out that Crofton Park ward is also trying to launch a Neighbourhood Forum. As the application for the Crofton Park and Honor Oak Neighbourhood Forum states, it will copy the ward boundaries.

Lewisham Council is now consulting the community about the idea. Like Civilisation, the first player to plant their flag on this area gets sole claim on the territory, with no other group entitled to create a Neighbourhood Plan.

There's not a lot in the application to react to. It's all sensible stuff and the stated aims are the usual communal platitudes: "to promote the social, economic and environmental well-being of the area... to work with members of the local community in assessing the priority of needs,
and to work together to address these needs... to encourage the goodwill and involvement of the wider community, etc and so on."

Still, if you're interested in getting involved, there are details here.

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Should Brockley be getting in the act on this? Or is the work of the various existing groups already covering things? OR is this just a way of getting local people doing the work that the paid council officers should be doing?

Agreed, would have been better if they had set out three practical priorities for the area, like:* lobby for increase to frequency of service at CP rail station;* plans to promote attract business into unused retail spaces; * Plans to prevent flytipping.sounds a bit of an arbitrary thinkpiece for a landgrab otherwise.

Re area, being at the CP end of the proposed borders, I'd prefer if it stretched out to 'mid-town' parade of shops too- I visit those stores on a regular basis but have never been to the far end of honor oak in over four years of living here. Why is the proposed area defined by electoral wards, surely highstreet is a more appropriate measure given the aims of the neighbourhood forum? Perhaps for local funding purposes?

Fine (ish). I do think its great that CP enhances its own sense of identity. In my view its overshadowed to some extent by being part of Brockley- in the sense that absolutely no one outside Lewisham knows where it is and some people seem to have an inferiority complex when other locals suggest its not proper Brockley. I think the areas awesome on its own and welcome the focus.However, again this feels like a landgrab. I wonder if this will be a catalyst for a wider plan to redefine Lewishams borders. That wouldn't bother me on its own but, if so, I'd rather people were more up front about it. Why else include Honour Oak but not the mid town bit, which is much closer to Crofton Park?

Seems like a fine enough idea to me having just read the online version, not much to go on in terms of specifics. I imagine the last sentence is missing a 'not' when it says members' contact details will be published! :-)

The version that came through the door included bits about the forum having a say over the type of extensions people are allowed. Not sure about this bit - who exactly gets to decide on my extension? - we already have council authority over this... especially given the rather odd definition of the area, it seems rather overbearing...

Blimey, this is like Scottish independence in miniature. No I don't think it's a plan to redefine any borders - not least, all they are doing is copying the existing borders. "Brockley" ward covers a large chunk of Deptford. It's all a bit odd, but ultimately, doesn't matter.

And I'm not sure why CP needs to assert its own identity. It already has its own station, its own festival, its own clearly-defined high street. And if people haven't heard of it, but they've heard of Brockley and think CP is part of Brockley (which it is) then what's the problem?

LOL- I enjoyed that! thanks...I'm no seperatist. I guess I am supporting a greater devolution of powers, which is what we seem to be getting. Would also be good if upper brockleyites don't get to vote on CP issues, although I will want to retain a say on the wider area.Now need to work on a Barnett formula for disproportionate funding to the CP ward.

The application for the Honor Oak Park and Crofton Park Neighbourhood plan boundary and neighbourhood forum are both on the Lewisham Website with a deadline for responses of the 20th March. The Council need to decide if the boundary is right and reasonable and separately if the forum constitution is right.

One of the reasons you might be interested is that only those in the plan boundary would be able to vote on the referrendum that would decide if any resulting Crofton Park and Honor Oak Neighbourhood Plan should be adopted.

Not sure why but I don't seem to be able to post a link to the consultation on this on the Lewisham website. The consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan boundary and the separate forum application closes on the 20th March.

If you search "lewisham crofton park and honor oak neighnbourhood plan" you will find it.